The Suspended in Dusk 2 anthology was picked up by a new publisher, Grey Matter Press. As with part 1 of the series, Suspended in Dusk 2 is anthology of horror and dark fiction that continues examines themes of change and the moments between the light and the dark.

I’m very thrilled to announce that January 2018 will see the publication of Suspended in Dusk 2.

Just check out this sexy terrifying cover, created by the incredibly talented Dean Samed:

The book features and fantastic introduction from British Fantasy Award and World Fantasy award winning author Angela Slatter, in addition to 17 stories from some of the best horror and dark fiction writers today.

My tale “Everything is Squamous” will be featured in the forthcoming Midnight Echo Magazine #12. Edited by Shane Jiraiya Cummings and Anthony Ferguson. Midnight Echo is returning from a hiatus (yay), and I’m really chuffed to have a story in a magazine that has featured the very best Australian horror writers – Alan Baxter, Kaaron Warren , Jason Nahrung, Jason Fischer, Joanne Anderton, Amanda J Spedding, Felicity Dowker and others- and other fantastic writers such as Jack Ketchum and Lucky McKee, Jonathan Maberry, James A Moore, Kristin Dearborn, and more.

Inspired by the theme song from the Lego Movie and online debate over HPL’s racism and his legacy, this story is about a young black man and the horrific nightmare his life becomes when he literally bumps into Howard Philips Lovecraft on the streets of Red Hook. (I think I’d just finished reading Lovecraft Country by Matt Ruff around that time too and was feeling a little bold. p.s buy that book!)

Truth be told, I’m really nervous about the publication of this story. Its the first time I’ve ever written a POC as a protagonist and I hope I didn’t screw the pooch. Secondly, Some beta-readers loved the story, including one editor friend who said she’d publish it if I submitted it to her. Several other beta readers were actually offended by it and felt that I went too far in presenting a caricature of a virulently racist Lovecraft as the story’s antagonist (which was kinda the point, given he presented racist caricatures of people in his own writings and correspondence).

Either way, if it raises some hackles or gives some readers enjoyment, I’d say it’s a win. Art’s meant to make you think and feel something, after all. I suspect there’ll have never been a story quite like this published befohttps://www.amazon.com/Midnight-issue-Shane-Jiraiya-Cummings-ebook/dp/B078MGBFM4/re.

I’ve been waiting for a while release the table of contents for Suspended in Dusk 2 but all the contracts are in and my hands have been unshackled. There were a couple of changes to the line up. Unfortunately, Mercedes Yardley and Nikki Guerlain wont be joining us due to other commitments. I do very much hope to work with them both soon on future projects. As sad as that is, there are some fantastic new additions to the line up whose work I am thrilled to be including in the anthology.

So, without further ado, and in no particular order,…

Suspended in Dusk 2 – Table of Contents

Introduction by Angela Slatter

Deadman’s Road by Joe R. Lansdale

The Mournful Cry of Owls by Christopher Golden

The Immortal Dead by JC Michael

That Damned Cat by Nerine Dorman

Another World by Ramsey Campbell

Angeline by Karen Runge

Mother of Shadows by Benjamin Knox

Love is a Cavity I Can’t Stop Touching by Stephen Graham Jones

Crying Demon by Alan Baxter

The Sundowners by Damien Angelica Walters

Still Life with Natalie by Sarah Read

Riptide by Dan Rabarts

Dealing in Shadows by Annie Neugebauer

There’s no light between floors by Paul Tremblay

Editing continues apace and I’m looking forward to receiving some cover art soon, which I’ll no doubt share in due course!

This book features a few Easter eggs for readers too:

Mother of Shadows by Benjamin Knox is a continuation of the story from the original Suspended in Dusk anthology, A Keeper of Secrets. Ben and I worked hard to ensure it reads very fine as its own standalone tale, but readers of the first anthology should be enjoy the continuation of this story.

In what is becoming a Suspended in Dusk tradition, I’ve included a story which is dark yet also quite humorous, Nerine Dorman’s That Damned Cat.

Lastly, there are several fantastic art pieces by the incredibly talented artist Aaron Dries, which will appear exclusively in the paperback version of the anthology.

I am very happy with how this book is shaping up and I know there will be something for all horror readers and readers of dark fiction within these pages.

I’m here to drip feed you some exciting news regarding Suspended in Dusk 2 (forthcoming from Books of the Dead Press, mid 2016). The open submission period for 2 spots in the table of contents closes tomorrow and so I’ve yet to choose those particular stories, but I can confirm the following authors will feature stories in Suspended in Dusk 2:

Much to my delight, the anthology will be introduced by the British Fantasy Award and World Fantasy Award winning author, Angela Slatter.

In addition, the paperback edition of Suspended in Dusk 2 will feature 5 interior illustrations by the seriously talented artist of the macabre, Aaron Dries. I’ve just received Aaron’s illustration of Stephen Graham Jones’ story in my inbox and I’m really blown away. If all goes to plan I’ll share one of the images on my blog before the book goes to print so you can get a peek at what’s in store.

Final announcement regarding the stories chosen from the open submission will be made by the end of March 2016. In addition, any other tricks I have up my sleeve will be announced at the same time.

I was alerted to another review of Suspended in Dusk that I thought I’d share. It’s very exciting and humbling to know the books is out there, still being enjoyed by readers. Also check out the Parlor of Horror Blog. It has a lot of fiction and movie reviews that are worth a look.

Suspended in Dusk adheres to a general theme. Dusk can be foreboding, the onset of night. It can mean the end of an era or a life. As expressed in the introduction by Jack Ketchum, it can also be a time of transition. Here we find a collection of high quality horror tales to thrill and chill the discerning horror reader. In Shadows of the Lonely Dead by Alan Baxter we find a benefit for an old age home nurse who has witnessed too much death. Next is the small town horror that emerges from the forest, looking for human sacrifices in, At Dusk They Come by Armand Rosamillia.

A Woman of Disrepute by Icy Sedgwick is written in old style gothic, which is a style I enjoy reading. The Ministry of Outrage is an intelligent socio-political commentary that oozes unfathomable truths about the human race and our penchant for violence. Extra kudos to Chris Limb for this offering.

Reasons to Kill by J. C. Michael is one of my fave stories in the book. It pulls you in and keeps twisting, wringing the tension tighter and tighter. It is a fantastic story of zombie infection and vampire lore that feels organically original. Ramsey Campbell contributes to the anthology with a frightening variation on a buried alive story called, Digging Deep. Reading it imparts the feeling of claustrophobia and the desperation in the man’s pleas for help are unnerving.

There are many other great stories to read here, each with their own unique style and tone. Hats off to editor, Simon Dewar, for choosing tales that are top notch horror entertainment and delivering one of the best horror fiction anthologies I’ve read in some time.

Dusk: a time between times; on the edge between the light and the dark. A time of change.

I’m incredibly pleased to announce that I’ll be teaming up with Books of the Dead Press once again, and editing a sequel to the 2014 anthology of horror and dark fiction, Suspended in Dusk.

To be released mid-2016, Suspended in Dusk 2 will be another quality collection of fiction from some of the best current authors of short dark fiction, featuring stories from: Stephen Graham Jones, Damien Angelica Walters, Alan Baxter, Karen Runge, Benjamin Knox, and many more. More exciting names and news will be revealed in coming weeks. I’m very pleased that, once again, “Suspended in Dusk” will collect a range of voices from new and established talented female and male writers of the dark, bizarre, and terrifying.

Suspended in Dusk 2 will be introduced by the amazingly talented Angela Slatter. Angela Slatter is a British Fantasy Award winning and World Fantasy Award nominated author of several collections of short stories, including The Bitterwood Bible, and Sourdough and Other Stories. Her novella Of Sorrow and Such was recently released by Tor, October 13 2015. www.angelaslatter.com

In addition to fantastic fiction, horror author and artist, Aaron Dries, will be creating illustrations of a number of the collected stories to be included in the paperback edition of Suspended in Dusk 2. Aaron is a masterful horror artist and his terrifying illustrations are highly sought after. I encourage you to check out both Aaron’s dark artwork, and his fiction. www.aarondries.com

Epub and print versions are to follow shortly. I’ll post again once they’ve been released.

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“Disquieting and at times terrifying, SUSPENDED IN DUSK shows that horror can, and should, have substance.” ~ Kaaron Warren, Shirley Jackson Award winner, and author of Slights, Mystification, Walking the Tree.

“SUSPENDED IN DUSK offers a delicious assortment of chills, frights, shocks and very dark delights!” ~ Jonathan Maberry, Bram Stoker Award winner and New York Times bestselling author of Fall of Night and V-Wars

Dusk: A time between times.

A whore hides something monstrous and finds something special.
A homeless man discovers the razor blade inside the apple.
Unlikely love is found in the strangest of places.
Secrets and dreams are kept… forever.

Or was it all just a trick of the light?

Suspended in Dusk brings together 19 stories by some of the finest minds in Dark Fiction:

It’s been a while since I’ve had a chance to post. Work has been flat out, my beautiful wife is pregnant with twins that are due mid-June and I’ve been buried deep in the second round of edits for the Suspended in Dusk anthology.

Because of all these hectic goings-on, I’ve neglected to give you all a teaser about Suspended in Dusk, so here I am to remedy that.

Here is the (unordered) Table of Contents for the anthology; a fantastic list of authors and a fantastic line up of stories.

Some of the names above are quite well known but there are also a few fresh new voices in the mix. All of the stories are, in my opinion, of a fantastic standard. All of them, in some way or another, literally or metaphorically, deal with the title theme Suspended in Dusk, and do so in vastly different ways. I’m honoured to be working with such a fantastic and august line-up of authors.